Single Sign on Authentication Over Public Networks Can Lead to Identity Theft

Most people are concerned about their information being accessed, when they are using an unsecure connection or public network like the internet. This concern stems from a growing increase in identity theft, where hackers are able to gain access to personal information and use this information to obtain credit in the user’s name. In several cases, the reason identify theft occurred, electronically, is because the user was using single sign on authentication.

You Should Avoid Using Single Sign on Authentication Over Unsecure Connections

When authenticating over the internet or an unsecure connection, you will want to use another method besides single sign on authentication. Anyone with the user’s name and password can gain access, from any computer with the same type of connection. Unauthorized access can easily be prevented by adding a second layer of security, with a digital certificate. Since the digital certificate is contained on the user’s computer, a hacker would not have this certificate on their computer. Therefore, the hacker would not be able to gain access, even if they had the user’s name and password.